Being a soccer player for most of my life pretty much took care of my need to "exercise." I loved playing soccer; it never felt like work. I never dreaded going to practice, but rather, I couldn't wait to throw on my cleats and get on the field. During pre-season my freshman year of college, I used to drive three hours from my home town to my school for a two hour practice on Sunday evenings and then drive back home. Yes, I drove six hours round trip to get to a soccer practice. Seems a little nuts, but that is how much I loved playing soccer.
Unfortunately, due to some health issues, soccer/most contact sports are not a possibility for me right now. I am struggling to find some sport or exercise regime that gives me that same pleasure. Currently, I am just getting in the bare bones routine at the gym at work: twenty minutes of three and a half mph walking on the treadmill to warm up, about fifteen minutes of stretching, alternating days of upper body and lower body weights, and then finishing it off with another ten to fifteen minutes of five mph "jogging" on the elliptical. On cooler days (and by cooler I mean one of those rare <85 degree days this summer) I have really enjoyed walking a few miles in the prairie preserve near my house but it doesn't necessarily feel like I get much benefit in the same way as the workouts in the gym. Anyone have any suggestions for workouts, specifically ones that I won't have to join a gym or pay some instructor to get the benefits? Oh, and anything other than biking. My bike and I are fighting right now....
To get in shape for my wedding I stuck to the basics: treadmill, arm weights, sit ups and eating smaller portions and healthy (1 ingredient/non processed) foods when I could. I made sure that I did a variety of things on the treadmill - different incline, different speeds and different lengths of time each time. This helped keep my body alert and not get in a rut with the same routine. Good luck!
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